Cochemea – All My Relations | Daptone Records (2019)

This is the second album by saxophonist Cochemea Gastelum. It is a percussion heavy Jazz Funk album that is imbued with First Nations vibes. There is no mistaking that this is a record about history, family, and a musical journey.

After moving from the west coast to New York City, Cochemea had the good fortune of hooking-up with the Daptone Records crew. It was early enough on that he got to work with them on Amy Winehouse’s second and final record “Back to Black.” Afterwards he became a regular member of The Dap-Kings horn section. And began touring with artists like the late, great Sharon Jones. Which also explains how this album came to be released on Daptone.

Not surprising the Dap-Kings influence is unmistakable on this album. But rather than stray away from it, Cochemea uses it as the heartbeat for the record. And to great effect. At times the sounds are reminiscent of a classic Spaghetti Western soundtrack. And other times it feels like it could be the music that would be in an adaptation of The Teachings of Don Juan. On several tracks Cochemea’s saxophone is processed with a lot of effects. Which adds to the magical and spiritual qualities of the album. The music feels (a)live at times, even improvised, but it is always grounded.

All My Relations as a whole feels like a cohesive piece. Which makes it very easy to listen to from start to finish. And there were several times when the album came to an end where I had wished there were just a few more tracks. This is the type of record that will still get played by me in twenty years. This will also be the type of record to lay in waiting for another generation to discover. Because records like this become ageless.

You can listen to the whole album on Bandcamp.

Check out the track “Mitote”


Dave Belson is a record collector from the Greater Boston area in the United States. He has been buying, selling, and trading records for over 30 years. His obsession with discovering overlooked records began during his 10+ years as a college radio DJ. Follow him Instagram.